Gail Goins

Malayan Banking Bhd. (1155.KU), Malaysia's largest lender by total assets, is likely to be exempted from Indonesia's new rule limiting foreign ownership of local banks to 40%, Chief Executive Abdul Wahid Omar said Monday. When it proposed the rule last month, Indonesia said it would allow foreign

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPH.PH), the Philippines' largest operator of shopping malls, said Monday its net profit for the second quarter rose 16% to 2.49 billion pesos (59.4 million) from PHP2.15 billion due to the continued expansion of its shopping mall network.

A Korean government report concluding that banks' business practices harm consumers is credit negative for the sector, as it will likely spur calls to restrain bank profitability, Moody's Investors Service said Monday.

Bank of Communications Co. (3328.HK) is close to receiving final approval from China's securities regulator to complete its 29.8 billion yuan ($4.7 billion) worth of additional A-share sale, with more than two thirds of the shares likely to be purchased by the Ministry of Finance and the National

Shares of China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings Ltd. and Glorious Property Holdings Ltd. suffered double-digit percentage plunges in Hong Kong Monday after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused a firm owned by their chairman of insider trading.

Asian markets rose on Monday as European leaders continued to offer reassurance that action will be taken to tackle the region's debt crisis.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange is considering new rules that would add a special tag to shares of firms with two or more years of consecutive losses and make delisting stocks easier, according to a state media report.

Philippine lender BDO Unibank Inc. (BDO.PH) said Monday its first-half net profit rose 15% to 5.83 billion Philippine pesos ($139 million) compared with PHP5.05 billion a year earlier.

Korea Finance Corporation, or KoFC, said Monday it will put a controlling stake in Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (047810.SE) up for sale on Tuesday in a deal that could be worth around KRW1.3 trillion.